Android gaming

Hollywood seems to have an ongoing fascination with Spider-man, with a new Spidey movie coming out every couple of years or so. This time around, Marvel and Gameloft are giving mobile gamers the chance to be their own web-slinging superhero with the upcoming release of Spider-Man: Unlimited, a 3D mobile game that will come to your device of choice this September.

If the words "in-app purchase" or IAP sends shivers down your bones every time you encounter it, possibly multiple times in a day, fear not for Italy has got your back. The country's antitrust authority is now looking into app store owners Google, Apple, Amazon, and even game developer Gameloft for their part in spreading what it deems to be misleading, but quite lucrative, free-to-play games.

Portal, a classic of modern console gaming, has come to the SHIELD. NVIDIA’s groundbreaking gaming platform has seen a robust PC and Xbox title come to the small screen, showing the prowess of their device. We got the chance to go hands-on with it, and we must say — we’re impressed.

Now that a good number of popular apps are mostly available on multiple mobile operating systems, or their users expect them to be, platform makers such as Google, Apple, and Amazon are looking for the next big opportunity to pull in new users or keep old ones from jumping ship. Now they've seen the next battlefield for buyers' hearts and money: games.

Following its tradition of naming major system updates after mythical creatures, the OUYA team has announced the release of "Chupacabra". And just like previous updates, this one drags in quite a huge amount of new features and fixes, including support for audio passthrough in XBMC, redesigned PLAY, DISCOVER, and Details pages, as well as better support for game controllers and media remotes.

After more than a year of waiting, Kickstarter supporters who pledged their money will start to receive their Phonejoy game controller. This controller promises to bring button-mashing enjoyment to your Android device, no matter their size.

Your favorite AAA game might be on a console or PC, but that doesn't mean your mobile device needs to feel left out. With this companion app for Konami's recently released Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, your smartphone or tablet can join in on the fun and even take a more active role in the game.

Expanding beyond the confines of the usual smartphones and tablets, ZTE has announced its first foray into the gaming industry. But more than just simply a gaming console, the ZTE9 FunBox offers an all around connected experience for the family to enjoy in the living room.

Originally expected to arrive in the winter of 2013, it now looks like the BlueStacks GamePop console will not be available until sometime in late Q2 2014. BlueStacks is still accepting pre-orders for the console, though judging from what we saw last week, and coming out of the Game Developers Conference (GDC) -- it appears they are in somewhat of a transitional phase.

Google has just pushed out a silent update to Google Play Store both the Android app and the browser interface that brings a slightly new organization to games available in the store. These 18 new categories will hopefully make discovering new kinds of games a tad easier than before.